gay
[ gey ]
/ geɪ /
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usage alert about gay
The sexual orientation meaning of the word gay has become so predominant that people hesitate to use the term in its original senses of “merry, lively” and “bright or showy.” But the word's association with sexuality is not new. The word gay has had various senses dealing with sexual conduct since the 17th century. A gay woman was a prostitute, a gay man a womanizer, a gay house a brothel. This sexual world included gay men too, and gay as an adjective in the sexual meaning goes back at least to the late 1930s. After World War II, as social attitudes toward sexuality began to change, gay was applied openly by gay men to themselves, first as an adjective and later as a noun. It is no longer considered slang. Today, the noun often designates only gay men and is usually used as a collective plural: gays and lesbians. How do gays feel about this? But usage as a singular noun is usually perceived as insulting.
It has been argued that gay in the sense “awkward, stupid, or bad” is independent of the sexual sense, and therefore not homophobic. This argument is weakened by the fact that the sexual meaning has long been the dominant one, and thus permeates all usages of gay. See also homosexual.
It has been argued that gay in the sense “awkward, stupid, or bad” is independent of the sexual sense, and therefore not homophobic. This argument is weakened by the fact that the sexual meaning has long been the dominant one, and thus permeates all usages of gay. See also homosexual.
adjective, gay·er, gay·est.
noun
Usually Offensive. a person, especially a male, who is sexually attracted to people of the same sex or gender.
adverb
in a gay manner.
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Origin of gay
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English gai, from Old French “happy, cheerful,” from Germanic; compare Old High German gāhi “fast, sudden”
OTHER WORDS FROM gay
gay·ness, nounnon·gay, adjectiveOther definitions for gay (2 of 2)
Gay
[ gey ]
/ geɪ /
noun
John, 1685–1732, English poet and dramatist.
a female or male given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use gay in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for gay (1 of 2)
gay
/ (ɡeɪ) /
adjective
- homosexual
- of or for homosexualsa gay club
- carefree and merrya gay temperament
- brightly coloured; brillianta gay hat
- given to pleasure, esp in social entertainmenta gay life
noun
a homosexual
Derived forms of gay
gayness, nounWord Origin for gay
C13: from Old French gai, from Old Provençal, of Germanic origin
usage for gay
Gayness is the word used to refer to homosexuality. The noun which refers to being carefree and merry is gaiety
British Dictionary definitions for gay (2 of 2)
Gay
/ (ɡeɪ) /
noun
John. 1685–1732, English poet and dramatist; author of The Beggar's Opera (1728)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for gay
gay
Descriptive term for homosexuals.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.